whaling – KNOM Radio Missionhttp://www.knom.org/wp
780 AM | 96.1 FM | Yours for Western AlaskaSat, 17 Feb 2018 02:45:37 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.459285469Story49: Luke Kulukhonhttp://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2015/07/19/story49-luke-kulukhon/
Sun, 19 Jul 2015 20:30:43 +0000http://www.knom.org/wp/?p=17341From the time he struck a whale to his memories exploring St. Lawrence Island, Luke had many stories to share, and we were happy and grateful to hear them.]]>http://www.knom.org/wp-audio/2015/07/2015-07-19-S49%20Luke.mp3

This month’s Story49 features and honors the life of Luke Kulukhon, who passed away in February. We spoke with him back in December, and with permission from his family, we’re now sharing what Luke graciously shared with us.

“I like my homeland over there,” Luke said. “We explored when we were kids; my older brother would disappear to the land and come back with lots of greens…”

Growing up on both the Northeast Cape and eventually Gambell, Luke remembers his home fondly and shares memories of hiking, whaling, storytelling, and more.

Tune into KNOM on Sunday, July 19th at 6:30p.m. and again on July 23rd at 3p.m., or listen right here!

Tribal co-management for subsistence resources was the focus at the Alaska Federation of Native’s work session on food safety Thursday.

The session—one of four covering topics like public safety, education, and climate change—highlighted current co-management programs for subsistence resources like whales and walrus, with the aim of applying similar practices to rehabilitate Chinook salmon stocks on the Yukon and Kuskokwim Rivers.

Mike Conner, deputy secretary of the Department of the Interior, said the idea of spreading resource management out between state, federal, and tribal groups has appeal, and it’s one idea he said the Department of the Interior is looking to test “administratively” in a pilot project along the Kuskokwim salmon fishery.

“Bottom line is, we are going to be moving forward with this idea, we have a lot of work to do with the subsistence users themselves,” Conner said at the podium. “There’s a process under ANILCA to establish this local advisory council. We need to work with the state of Alaska, and we need to, of course, work with the community most affected in the Kuskokwim River Drainage, and also, all of you.”

A successful “proof of concept,” Conner added, could mean expanding co-management to other salmon fisheries in Alaska.

Myron Naneng, the head of the Association of Village Council Presidents, has been working to establish an inter-tribal fish commission for communities along the Kuskokwim River. With federal management taking over for state leadership on the Kuskokwim river system this past summer, Naneng said the inter-tribal commission organization would take the lead in dealing with the state and the feds in any co-management project.

“Because of the need for food security, our people have made a commitment to try to establish the inter-tribal fish commission. We don’t need to be cooperating with the management people. We need to help them make good decisions that are a benefit to the resource. And eventually every one of us will benefit from that.”

Existing co-management regimes exist in Alaska. Harry Brower Jr., a whaling captain in Barrow and the chairman of the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission, spoke to the commission’s successful co-management with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that dates back to 1980.

But Nome’s Vera Metcalf—speaking on behalf of the Eskimo Walrus Commission, another co-management program in the state—cautioned that co-management may be a worthwhile goal, but will remain an unrealized dream without money to back it up.

“There’s really not a level playing ground here since ANOs [Alaska Native organizations] continue to receive little and decreasing amounts of funding, at the unilateral decisions of agencies, although the urgency and complexity of the issues affecting our environment and traditional subsistence reliance of walrus continue to increase,” Metcalf said.

“Our funding decreases just about every year,” she said with frustration. “We are expected to do more for less.”

A co-management scheme for Kuskokwim king salmon isn’t the only co-management project moving forward, however; the food security work session closed with a look at plans from the Ahtna region to pursue co-management programs near the Copper River through federal legislation.

Most attendees came prepared for a long day: armed with foldable chairs, blankets, and coolers, Nalukataq was reminiscent of a very large 4th of July family summer cook out, albeit in 30 degree weather.

Two crews, Anagi (Ah-nah-ghji) and Hopson One, wrapped up a week’s worth of celebrations on Saturday with music, food, a blanket toss, and distribution of muktuk for the families in attendance.

Jacob Adams has been a whaling captain for 37 years, an active whaler for 57 years. He says this is a family operation and that Nalukataq is an important cultural event for them.

“We celebrate a successful hunt so people won’t go hungry and enjoy the cultural activities associated with a successful bowhead whale hunt, the rituals we follow since, basically, ten thousand years ago.”

To hear more on Nalukataq, listen to the link posted above…

]]>http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2014/07/04/profile-nulukataq-celebration-in-barrow/feed/410284Savoonga Hunters take First Spring Whalehttp://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2014/05/06/savoonga-hunters-take-first-spring-whale/
http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2014/05/06/savoonga-hunters-take-first-spring-whale/#commentsTue, 06 May 2014 20:56:56 +0000http://www.knom.org/wp/?p=8816The Bering Strait community of Savoonga, on St. Lawrence Island, landed its third whale of the season Monday, marking the first whale to be taken this year not from a hunting camp but by hunters in the village itself.]]>http://www.knom.org/wp-audio/2014/05/2014-05-06-Savoonga-Spring-Whale.mp3

The Bering Strait community of Savoonga, on St. Lawrence Island, landed its third whale of the season Monday, marking the first whale taken this year not from a hunting camp but by hunters in the village itself.

Frederick Kingeekuk says he and his brother Floyd Kingeekuk Jr. and his son Miller had been hunting at a whaling camp about 40 miles southwest of the community, but poor conditions forced them to return home.

“(The) snow was melting real fast, and the rivers running. We had to take our gear and the boats back to the village,” he said Tuesday. Back in town, he said the men “were just hunting walrus” when they spotted the whale.

“On our way back from walrus hunting we seen a real big one, we seen this 48-footer,” he said.

Kingeekuk said he and his brother and son gave chase, beginning a pursuit that took 12 hours in rough seas with winds up to 25 knots.

“It just came up real close to us, kept coming up,” he said of the whale’s behavior. “Our creator showed it, we got it.”

Kingeekuk said the three men were alone in just one boat. “My brother, my son, and we got it. Harpooned it, and it didn’t take that long to die. We were just all alone, hauling it back to home all by ourselves ‘till other boats reached us.”

Kingeekuk said it was about two days of work to get the whale ashore and fully butchered. He and his whaling crew shared fresh muktuk with as many people as they could.

“I hope everyone was able to get a taste,” he said.

Kingeekuk thanked all the other boaters and whalers who helped bring the first spring whale caught from the village of Savoonga ashore.

Raymond was born in Wales in 1946. A whaling captain, husband, and father, he grew up with twelve siblings in the traditional Inupiaq way. He speaks about the hardships he faced, and Inupiaq lessons his elders and parents passed onto him about faith, perseverance, and community. Listen to hear his memories of how Western Alaska used to be, how he survived being stranded at sea for three days, and his advice for the younger generation.